Hello,

My name is David T. Dowell and I am so excited to be joining Frankford MS this year as the speech and theatre teacher!  This will be my ninth year in the classroom, but my first year teaching here in Texas. Theatre and Speech Arts are my passion and my people. I have been working both in education and professionally since I was in first grade. I attended SMU, received a wonderful education and heard the call to be a teacher. After graduating, I worked as an actor, camp counselor, and teaching artist in the Washington, DC area. After many happy years I began to long for seeing students as they grow as artists and people, so I became a full-time teacher, teaching middle school in Fairfax, VA. 

After 7 of the most wonderful years of my life teaching at Lanier Middle School, the pandemic hit and I stepped away from the classroom so I could be the primary parent of my children and support my spouse who is a nurse. When we decided to move to Texas, I knew it was the right time to return to the classroom. 

My why is simple. I believe that education is a light in the darkness. Sometimes the world seems cold, dark, and scary. But it doesn't have to be that way forever. Everyone has a place in my classroom, everyone has a place in the theatre. Theatre is not a building, or a stage, or a place. The theatre is made up of people. It is a community. Whether you are working backstage, in the spotlight, or just being in the audience, you are a part of that community. My why is being able to share with students an invitation to be a part of it.